Monday, September 28, 2009

Carla of Chocolate Moosey chose Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart, for this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie. If you are looking for a super rich chocolate dessert that looks like you went all out, this is for you. I loved the sweet tart dough and the layer of caramel and peanuts was delicious but, the top layer of chocolate gauche was almost too rich to eat. I caution you to follow the instructions very carefully and use low heat when making the caramel. I burned the first batch and had to make it over. I also decided to use half bittersweet chocolate and half semisweet chocolate to try to tone down the chocolate flavor a bit.

My family's opinion on the tart was split. Half liked it and the other half thought that it was just too rich. They all loved the caramel and peanut layer. I was undecided but I will say that I enjoyed it much better the next day after it was well chilled. The crust was still good and the chocolate layer tasted like truffles.

Monday, September 21, 2009

The recipe for this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie is Cottage Cheese Puffletts. This recipe was very similar to last weeks recipe including making a diva dough. If you remember to keep the dough well chilled you should have no problems making these little gems. I filled the pufflets with Raspberry Jam and they were quite tasty but they looked a little plain. I decided to top them with a little melted chocolate to give them just a little something extra. Thanks to Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes for choosing this recipe.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Julie of Someones in the Kitchen picked Flaky Apple Turnovers for this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie. Nothing screams Fall like a apple and cinnamon dessert and this one is a keeper. These little hand pies are delicious and are fairly easy to make. The dough is pretty high maintenance but well worth the effort. The dough must be kept very cold to work with. My first tray of the turnovers turned out very rustic (ugly). I rolled up the leftover dough and chilled it for a couple of hours and tried again. This time I just rolled it out on the counter with some flour and it was much easier to work with. I froze the remaining pies and cooked then straight out of the freezer.

The second batch turned out looking much better. I spooned a little glaze over them and they were super yummy. The turnovers are good served hot or cold. This is a great make ahead dessert to have stashed in the freezer.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Anxious is the best word to describe my feelings about this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie. I had never made a souffle and have been wanting to try one for a long time. I had even bought a cute souffle dish years ago and had never used it for anything other than a serving dish. I was so anxious about preparing the recipe that I turned into a complete air head. I misread the recipe not once but three times with things that could have caused a disaster. I was so happy to get to use my souffle dish only to discover at the last minute that it was much to small. I was determined to use all six egg yolks for some reason. And I also failed to purchase enough bittersweet chocolate. The chocolate issue was solved by using 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate and 2 ounces semisweet chocolate.

I was happy with the results of the souffle but I feel that I have much room for improvement. The chocolate mixture was very tasty and I would probably use that again. I didn't get a wonderful rise with my souffle but I think that came from beating the egg whites too long. Overall I loved this recipe and I can't wait to try it again. Thanks to Susan of She’s Becoming DoughMessTic for choosing this recipe.